God(dess) Hood
by Intoxikatied
Summary: As time moves on, Greek Gods and Goddesses find themselves weakened, some even to the point of losing their immortality as other religions grow and worshipers abandon their deities. When a certain God of the Underworld has to watch his wife pass on, only to be re-birthed again and again, how long can he put up with it until he decides that he needs to reclaim their history? R&R!
1. Resolve

History will repeat until all the pieces are in place.

As a forewarning, it does get a bit more mature in later chapters. You've been warned. Read, review, enjoy!

Chapter 1: Resolve

Dark, damp and cold; everyday his home was the same. His chambers were quiet and still, with an air of death and an overbearing feeling of passing time. His bed has lain cold and undisturbed for centuries.

As he reclines back against his throne, the once-feared God of the Underworld drums his fingers against the armrests. His expression growing grim as each year passes.

It has been a long time since he'd given up his search for his beloved Persephone; that damned Demeter always interfering, pulling her away every time. How could she live with herself, knowing her daughter was destined to an eternal cycle of death and rebirth? Having to watch her daughter die repeatedly when he... he could give her everything: all the wealth hidden in the earthy soil and deepest veins, happiness that they once shared so thoroughly, immortality... _life_. If only he could get his hands on her, he could restore her divinity.

He was there when she was a thick, round-faced Indian girl named Padma; growling when recalling the memory and allowing his eyes to slowly close as he drifts into a silent reverie.

* * *

 _He had recognized her soul the very second she was near. Turning on his heels, his mundu twisting violently around him with the sudden movement as he felt a pull that he hadn't felt since he first lost her. Every step tugged at his heart the same way it always had when his wife would return, signifying the end of her mother's custody and the beginning of his safekeeping of the ever young and whimsical Persephone. His long measured strides taking him deep into the marketplace and careening into a young woman; sending her sprawling onto the dusty street and her male chaperone stumbling to retrieve her._

 _"My apologies," he utters, in the guise of a handsome mortal Indian man, bending over to offer a hand to the young girl. "I'm afraid my mind was elsewhere. I am Haatim, may I ask your name?"_

 _"That is none of your concern," the chaperone snapped, dressed richly in bleached white clothes, his dhoti showing intricate embroidered gold patterns while he scowls at the proffered hand. "She's always been this clumsy, even when we were children."_

 _She lowers her gaze, pink tinging her cheeks as she mumbles too softly to be understood and reaches for his open palm. The contact gives her a shock, and she draws her eyes up to lock onto his. The derisive and indignant snort of her chaperone is ignored as she breathes out in a stronger, yet still quiet murmur._

 _"Padma. I was so caught up with the colours from a nearby stall that I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm very sorry."_

 _"There is nothing to be sorry for." With a gentle tug, he rights the young woman, her blush darkening as his fingers linger around hers, receiving a gentle squeeze before she's tugged sharply into the chest of her escort._

 _"We'll be going now. Our families are still going over the details for our Vivaah Samskar." The young man eyes the stranger over in reproach, tucking Padma closer to his side and turning her to walk in the opposite direction. Haatim stays standing in the middle of the market street, his gaze never leaving the back of the young woman and his dazed smile splitting into a grin when he's rewarded with her head turning to look back at him while she's led away, her cheeks still flushed._

 _The very instant he dares to blink, a large hand claps over his shoulder, snapping him out of his reverie and nearly sending him sprawling onto the dusty street when a booming voice and heavy arm lays across his shoulder._

 _"I stood by my decision all those years ago and I stand by it today. I don't believe Mommy Dearest detects your presence yet, so do be quick, would you?" A hearty laugh emanates from the overbearing and loud man now standing beside him._

 _"She'll come willingly," he grunts, his demeanor souring the longer he is in the presence of the obnoxious male._

 _"Going to try your hand at wooing a female, huh? Well good luck with that. I bet you'll have as much success with that as Dionysus would have in an archery contest against Artemis," the man says, his laugh louder the second time around and drawing the attention of passersby._

 _"You know, you're not as funny as you'd have yourself think, Zeu-."_

 _The weight on his shoulder suddenly lifted. Turning his head to the side, he finds himself standing alone once more in the middle of the street; talking to no one and losing sight of the young woman, Padma, as well._

 _"She's back," he murmurs, the displeased grimace from the arrival of his fellow God being replaced with one of contentment, joy seeping back into his heart after so long since his queen faded._

 _The dwindling of her followers as other religions grew in strength had sapped her immortality until it was as if she was nothing but a myth. Suddenly the years acted as if they were only in temporary stasis; the ever young and vibrant queen succumbing and wasting away in mere seconds, leaving his arms that were filled with the warm, soft body of his only love, covered in ashes and perfumed with the sweet smell of her skin and the sharp acrid tinge of death that had long since passed._

 _Steeling his resolve, he devised his plans to woo her back to her place at his side while three females were sitting quietly at a spinning wheel, shaking their heads. The treadle of the instrument pressed once, then twice and continued in a slow rhythm by a seemingly young girl clad in green, the wheel beginning to spin slowly and gaining little momentum._

* * *

"Not..." the green-clothed child murmurs as she begins pulling the thread out.

"This..." a slightly taller child, clothed in a flowing white dress continues, a measuring rod held in hand as she begins to evaluate the length of thread with rapt precision.

"Time..." whispers the tallest of the trio, clad in red as the sound of golden shears being pried open filling in the silence as she waits for the rod to end its meticulous measuring.

* * *

 _Haatim continued through the next few weeks, the girl coming out of her shell much to her intended's chagrin; sneaking out to meet the secret suitor with her mother never the wiser. He happily continued wooing her, determined and greedy to gain her love that he so desperately sought after before he would drag her back to his home. Their home. Many nights were spent taunting her; teasing and flirting with the emboldened girl each night she managed to steal away. Eventually she grew daring enough to confront her mother about the arranged marriage between her and her childhood friend, to plead and have her preferred suitor, only to be hidden away._

 _Padma had gotten her wish; the marriage was called off as her mother guarded her with such ferocity that even the doctors in the city were turned away when she had caught what was believed to be a simple fever. She passed away while suffering from malaria, a disease that would not have a name for a long time to come. Soon, the only sound to accompany her last breath was a soft '_ _ **snick**_ _' of shears. The thread that had begun sewing his heart up to contain the love she had so rapidly filled him with was cut slack and the wound laid open once more._

* * *

Demeter pulled her away and guarded her as she would countless other times.

Finally opening his eyes and snapping out of his trance, his gaze sweeps over the cold, uninviting marble surrounding him.

He is **Hades**. God of the Underworld and all the souls that swim within its waters. He knows everything there is to know of life and death. He has seen much of both, yet he cannot understand why Demeter would choose the repeated death of her daughter instead of permitting her an immortal life with him.

He needed a change, no more moping and stewing over that damned Goddess or her doubly damned daughter. Standing up abruptly, Hades walked across the gentle current of the River Styx, his robes skimming the top of the waters and yet not a single drop dared to cling and saturate the fabric.

At the opposing shore, a tall and lanky hooded figure leans heavily on a long pole as a single gold coin is flipped over the backs of the holders decayed fingers. The moment Hades sets his foot to the silt of the shore he finds the pole blocking his path to the gates that lay just beyond and the hood falling back from the figure just enough to show a hollowed cheek, the tendons visible and wet.

"You are awfully daring, Charon," growls the god, half his face turned up in a sneer to show his displeasure at being interrupted.

"Been a while since you came for a visit, my friend..." said Charon, lazily looking over the god with a bored expression, his curiosity barely piqued; one piercing blue eye settled on him as the other rolls in its socket, dulled to a blind grey and seemingly disconnected entirely.

"Indeed," Hades replied, his bristling demeanor deflected by the ferryman and briskly cuffing Charon on the upper arm, a wet snap of a joint dislocating further breaks the last of the tension. "I wish to see how the mortal realm has changed since last I visited."

Charon smiles wryly, the least rotted half of his mouth turning up as best as it can and simply nods in silent acquiescence as he steps aside, watching as Hades passes through the gates.

"He's gone to find her again," he says as he feels a hot breeze blow at his back; the cold, wet noses of a three-headed dog pushing at the ferryman with surprising gentleness. He pockets the gold coin and reaches to stroke one of the heads behind its ear, earning him another hot breeze from their huff of contentment.

"He just doesn't know it yet."

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Haatim Indian boys name meaning "Judge"**

 **Padma Indian girls name meaning "Goddess" (Lakshmi)**

 **Vivaah Samskar is a Hindu marriage ceremony. I also suggest you look it up if you're curious. My words won't do it justice.**

 **Mundu and dhoti are both traditional Indian sarong/skirts. Look them up, they're pretty awesome looking.**


	2. Shaken

Chapter 2: Shaken

With one last step out of the Underworld and wearing a nondescript mortal guise, Hades roamed out of the earth and into brightness and colour. Traveling wherever he pleased, he took his limitless time to fully explore, passing through villages and towns before finally settling on the rural outskirts of a city. Finding a house he fancied, he purchased a humble cottage with a river running on one side of the mortal-realm abode; a field took up the rest of the acreage, covered in various types of both flora and fauna. Accumulating money was simple, as the mountains, the soil and everything hidden within fell under his domain. Gold and jewels speak, regardless of the ever-evolving nature of printed currency, and Hades used it to his advantage; trading them as he needed in order to obtain the currency for each region he had found himself wandering into.

Eventually he fully settled into his new home, furnishings purchased and bookshelves filled with the essentials: encyclopedias and how-to manuals on the current technologies as well as a myriad of other subjects. Letting out a sigh of mixed emotions, Hades sat down on his couch, resigned to familiarizing himself with all of the technological advances humanity had made since last he viewed their progress. Every day over the course of his first few weeks there, he would pore over books and further engross himself; devouring them with a voracious thirst for knowledge and all information on the modern age. Especially impressed by the creation and evolution of computers and televisions, he became interested in expanding his horizons further and acquired a laptop; subsequently becoming quite adept, utilizing the internet along with the various books to better his grasp on the current era. Books, however, would remain his first choice; a familiar favourite that hadn't evolved quite as much as other things.

"I have to hand it to them," he said to himself, "for living such short lives, they certainly have come a long way without the Gods interfering."

Even with all the reading, quite a few books in Hades' collection had lain untouched; unopened and gathering dust on the highest shelf of the bookcase. Blindly reaching for another and taking no note of the title, his palm touches the spine of a book; fingers wrapping and gripping it tightly as he pulls it down from the shelf. Mythology, the title reads in bright, but otherwise unremarkable embossing. Specifically, Greek Mythology. Hefting the book in his hands, it splits open and falls on a very familiar story. Their story. A flurry of emotions floods him: love, grief, fury, and the ever-present hopelessness of the entire situation.

Shutting the book with a loud snap, he places it back on the highest shelf; leaving it there to gather dust again until the next time he decides to torture himself and deftly reaches for another book.

 _'Botany and Biological Sciences,'_ his mind snipes, flipping through the pages of the book he had picked on his second whim, _'of course I'd pick something related to her.'_

After a few more minutes of thumbing through the pages and easily retaining the knowledge offered, Hades lets out a sigh of resignation, unable to quell his thoughts. Struggling to decide between placing it back on the shelf to be forgotten and continuing his education on that which his late wife was born for, he sets the book aside on his desk. He soon finds himself sitting at the computer, mindlessly browsing through a plant nursery site and perusing a myriad of shrubs, trees, and flowers, even ordering a vast amount of them before he realized what he was doing. As soon as he completes the extensive list, he reclines back in his chair, watching the screen as it all sinks in. He gives himself a few moments before standing up and retiring for the first night since arriving many weeks ago.

Just a short week later, the first shipment of seedlings arrived. Giving them a quick inspection, Hades proceeds to head out to his shed and retrieves every tool he deems useful for his endeavor. With tools in hand, he lowers himself; churning the ground by his own labor, turning his land into workable dirt and the fertile earth eager to obey him. After days of rising early and retiring late, covered in dirt and sweat, the land he toiled over began to take shape. Rocks, weeds, and even the grass all turned into loamy soil, partitioned off and molded into rows. Sections were sporadically dispersed throughout the field and accompanied by small pools of water with which to feed the thirstier plants.

Slowly he fills the land in, starting small with simple, fragrant perennial herbs and branching out into flowers. Lavender, thyme, lemon balm, sage, and rosemary were the first planted, growing and expanding out into more medicinal herbs and colourful flowers. The first year alone covered a good fraction of his land, drawing attention from those passing through the city to look over the more rural outskirts. Soon, he had his first visitors, stopping on the periphery of the land to take pictures and look on in awe. He paid them no mind beyond a sneer and always returned to his constant work; as long as they did not interrupt or disturb his work or his land, they can gawk as they pleased. It mattered naught to him.

Hades leans forward on his shovel, surveying his land as the first year comes to its end; no autumn nor winter coming to put a halt on the life cycle. It has always been like this since Persephone first faded. No winter. No death with which to fertilize the land. Humans have begun to overpopulate and boom and while they still passed on through other means, the lack of the harvest and dead season have slowed the process quite notably. The river Styx remained at a constant flow, but the waters no longer churned violently and grew calmer and calmer with each passing era.

 _'Demeter must be having a field day, the surreptitious cow,'_ Hades snarls in his own mind. _'Always perfect season for growing, but still the humans cannot feed all of their kind. She prefers seeing the population double and triple, yet allow so many to starve and suffer. To deny balance is to deny what being an immortal means. We cannot protect and guide these creatures without give and take. There has been far too much giving.'_

He narrows his eyes, appraising the verdant acreage that he had labored over with such restless devotion, and found himself a little less bereft and cynical. The exact emotion given back to him flitting by too quickly for him to grasp or examine, though his heart did flutter a short, staccato beat that silenced as quickly as it began. Dismissing it with a disdainful snort, he shakes his head and turns to go inside as the sun begins to disappear at the horizon.

The following morning, Hades opens his front door and discovers a young sapling, the roots and dirt held together with simple burlap. Attached to the sapling is a rolled note, bound in string, which reads:

 _"Plant this in half sunlight and half shade. Harvest all it has to offer the moment it's ready. -Helios."_

Looking up from the sapling, he analyzes his field, noting the only available space was about twenty square feet of dirt which had yet to be utilized. Pocketing the note, he heads to the shed, picking up only a trowel and trekking to the very edge of his property. Finding a spot that offered both sun and shade in equal measure, he digs an adequate cavity in the soil and places the young sapling, the earth eager to embrace and accept what would be his last addition. That one, solitary gift.

Months rolled by slowly; his vast garden flourished, with the lone sapling being the only exception. No matter his efforts, both mortal and divine, the sapling refused to grow. A silent insult and a reminder that he was God of the Dead. As if slapped in the face by nature itself, he began to feel that he had no business dawdling in the matters of life and growth. Perhaps this sapling was a sign that some things could never fully thrive under his care.

For months more, this continues, the field growing in reputation and Hades finding it harder to escape the burgeoning popularity of the extensive and prismatic landscape. Deciding that his obsession of caring for the terrain had waned, he finally gave up tending over the land, the earth still flourishing and providing for the plants despite his abrupt neglect. He turns his back on his work, keeping to himself as the land protects and nurtures itself; the giant garden's popularity thriving just as vibrantly as the plants within it, people still stopping to peruse and enjoy the scenery. Meanwhile, the man who wrought it faded into legend.

The cottage remained standing. The plants remained full of life and just as beautiful as if left frozen after their first bloom. There were whispers of their caretaker, shadows just beyond the curtains and creepy tales of small lights in the windows at night as ivy overtook the cottage. It would stay like this for many years.


	3. Infuriated

I've been putting chapters up pretty quick, sorting through the skeleton outlines of each one and fleshing them out as I go along. I live for reviews, I've only had one since starting this story and that one little note of encouragement, telling me that hey, people are actually READING this drivel, well... it gives me the drive to keep writing. If you like this, please, even a one word note would be great. If you have any comments, questions or need any clearing up, please don't hesitate to contact me. On that note... the next chapter will show us Persephone's latest rebirth. (I plan on scattering her various other lives as we travel further into their story). Now, onto Chapter 3!

Chapter 3: Infuriated

The rumors never died down and the stories never stopped being told. In fact, they had grown to the point that Hades' solitude on the mortal realm began to be threatened by young humans daring each other to see who was brave enough to approach the cottage. Standing, he forces himself out of the years-long despondency he had fallen into; his atrophied arms leaving his chair's armrests for the first time since he had retired from the garden. With barely a wave of his hand, he returns the house into its original state, the door slamming open for the first time in years as all the material possessions he had filled the home with crumble into dust and blow outside. Once satisfied with the work, he strolls out the front door; the ivy that has overtaken the cottage now receding back into the soil as he pauses to look over his field one last time. Despite his better judgement, he began making his way to the sapling, its growth seemingly stunted as it hadn't changed since he first planted it. He snaps a twig from the thin branches, twirls it between his fingers, and begins his slow descent back to the underworld; his fury at the injustice currently quelled by a quiet air of dejection, and leaving behind everything he had acquired or made.

Once his foot sets down in the realm of the Underworld, the air begins to transition from humid and acrid to cold and earthy. Detecting this change, a certain three-headed canine begins to sniff and quickly grows restless; the giant tail shaking the shore as it wags and thumps the ground enthusiastically. Charon, noticing the dog's behavior, looks up to find Hades approaching the gates.

"We all thought you were taking a permanent vacation," said Charon, stroking the canine's fur, as if he had maintained his place and had done so unceasingly since Hades' departure.

"You know, poor Cerberus here has been quite distraught since you left," Charon continues as he pokes his hood up a bit to eye Hades, who had just passed through the gates. The god barely regards his ferryman with more than a glance, before he resumes speaking.

"Truth be told, the entire realm has noted your absence and we couldn't take much more of the warmth or the smell. When you left, everything grew stagnant and despite the slow of souls lately, things have become a bit... crowded. It's quite hard to mingle with the women down here as it is, but when the heat does nothing to suppress decay... well, charm only goes so far." Charon leans forward on the pole, looking quite amused with his joke, despite his smile resembling more of a fearsome grimace.

"I made my peace up there, now it's time for me to return to my peace… here, provided I find any with how the waters now look," replies Hades in a soft, grave tone. A small smile of humor gracing his face, nevertheless.

Charon nods, his smile slowly growing more somber, before gesturing towards the boat. Hades, deciding against traversing by foot, accepts the silent offer and climbs aboard. Pushing off from the shore, the ferryman guides the boat across the river at a slow glide, throwing his body into each thrust of the pole as it digs into the soft silt at the bottom. The two old companions remain in comfortable silence the entire trip, even after parting ways once they reach their destination.

Dragging himself through the marble hallways and back into the Room of Judgement, Hades settles back in his throne and sets the small twig down on the stand beside him. He then gives himself a moment to quietly convalesce over the past few years before reaching abruptly for his list, which he plucks out of thin air and gazes down upon. Scanning it, he speaks to his three judges: Aeacus, Minos, and Rhadamanthus.

"More souls, more dead; one soul for my realm while five others are practically born the moment Charon greets them. There is still no winter, no famine and not enough death to balance them out. To put it simply, the mortals have already begun to outbreed their capacity to grow their food and will surely suffer greatly before they all succumb to mass starvation."

"It's between having such a nice vacation from judging all these souls and the ever-present threat of the flood that will come when the humans can no longer sustain themselves," laments Aeacus.

The other two judges nod simultaneously, remaining completely silent as they wait for their share of work; entailing the processing of mortals that have passed on during the years of his absence and sorting them into their proper afterlives. Hades then lets out another sigh, and with a snap of his fingers, he incinerates the list; the ashes floating to the ground. Soon, he and his three colleagues go about tending to the realm and the souls within as they constantly flow from the river and along one side of the Room of Judgement. Days become weeks, weeks become months and months into years until finally he had caught up with all that he missed while he had spent those many years upon the mortal realm. With the Underworld back in order, its climate returns to the cool and fresh condition it had always been in before Hades' prolonged hiatus.

Finding his throne for the first time since he started sorting through the souls that had congested and putrefied the realm, he falls back into it; arms splayed and flopping unceremoniously onto the armrests. Bumping the table beside it accidentally, he hears the sound of rolling and a dull thud of something heavy and fleshy hitting the marble floor. When he looks down, he discovers a pomegranate at his feet.

Hades' eyes widen as he stands up; the sudden, violent movement causing the table beside him to shake and quiver as if in fear before the temperamental god crashes over his throne, picking up the fruit and throwing it in his sudden rage. The pomegranate smashes against the nearest column, splitting open and leaving a smear of dark maroon across the white marble as seeds skitter across the floors. Incensed, he then looks around him, turning in circles for any clue as to who might have played this joke on him. The seeds are soon crushed beneath his sandal as he grounds them against the floor.

 _'Who_ _ **dares**_ _to play such a trick?,'_ his mind seethes, jaw tightening in rage as he picks up the battered shell of the fruit before turning to head for the shoreline.

Spotting the ferryman on the opposite coast, Hades walks across the river with an infuriated gait, the waters churning violently at his feet and whipping about his ankles but not daring to slow down their lord. Once he touches down on the other side, a hand immediately snatches the front of Charon's robes, twisting and pulling him up face-to-face before shaking him violently.

"Who?" Hades booms at him, lips drawn back and baring teeth in a feral manner.

"What sort of joke is this!"

Hades lifts the hand that contains the shell of the pomegranate; the few remaining seeds within its being are crushed between his fingers and their juice drips like blood in rivulets down his forearm.

"Who was it, Charon? This damned fruit next to my throne. Who put it there, who would _dare_ make such a jest?"

Sufficiently disturbed by the uproar, Cerberus then lifts all three of its heads, growling at Hades as he continues to shake the ferryman. The dog is then silenced quickly by a withering glare from the god as Charon calmly speaks.

"I know nothing of the fruit. I never leave my boat, nor the coasts. Every soul that comes through here, I deliver to their assigned destination; no deviations, no further than they need and never stopping short. With that in mind, there have been no heroes seeking a soul, nor anyone attempting to escape."

Hades breathes raggedly before releasing Charon. Finally regaining his composure, he blinks slowly and begins pacing the length of the coast, lost deep in thought before turning without another word and quickly ascending back into the mortal realm.


	4. Dumbfounded

Thank you for the review(s)!

To "i": I'm aware to not use bold and italics, but I felt it prudent to in the case of the three girls, dream sequences and thoughts. Originally the bold words, with exception (to the girls) had just been capitalized, but I preferred this way better. Thank you so much for your feedback. I went back to switch out a few of the punctuation marks that didn't quite fit as you had mentioned.

As always, read and review, I want to know what you guys think, even if it's just "good".

Now, lets meet Persephone, shall we?

Chapter 4: Dumbfounded

Paige Foster is abruptly jerked out of her bed, crashing onto the floor in a pile of limbs, pillows and blankets before blearily looking up at her mother's irritated face. It was going to be a lovely start to her weekend, she could feel it deep in her bones.

"Nnngghh... for real, Ma? It's a Saturday," whines Paige, blinking a few times to try and bring her world back into focus.

All progress made is lost immediately when her mother opens both the curtains and the blinds to let the sunlight filter in as it instantly warms the room and subsequently robs the young woman of her sight for a few moments longer.

"Saturday, yes, and it's also noon! Plants don't take days off. Go take care of them," her mother replies as she strides out of her daughter's room, signifying the end of the discussion.

Slowly, Paige rises from the floor and drags herself into the bathroom, groaning loud enough to make sure it carries downstairs; contenting herself with irritating her mother in whatever manner she could get away with. As she lazily kicks her clothes into the hamper, she turns on the shower and proceeds to hop in. She wastes no time, quickly bathing and haphazardly trying to multitask; she forces a brush through her still-lathered hair with one hand, and a bath pouf is utilized in the other for the rest of her body. Her toothbrush hangs partway from her mouth, forgotten. Once finished, she briskly dries herself off as she continues brushing her teeth and tries to tie back her unruly hair; her hairbrush laying on the floor of the shower in neglect. Relinquishing the fight to do anything with her dark locks, she focuses instead on donning the appropriate undergarments before pulling on a simple, dark red sundress that fades into purple. Giving herself the briefest of glances in the mirror, Paige lets out a small huff of annoyance at her appearance, but doesn't permit herself to worry any further over her looks.

She rushes down the stairs. Blowing right past the kitchen, she startles her mother again as she grabs an apple from the dining room table and carelessly stuffs it in her mouth. The moment her hands are free, apple held firmly in place by her teeth, she dashes to make a grab for her sandals. She then waves enthusiastically at her mother before snatching the keys to the car and wastes not a single second more than needed. She struggles to put on her sandals, hopping on her right foot as she tugs the left one on. Switching feet, she trips to the door, but manages to get the second sandal on before bounding outside and into the field.

Now, Paige adored this field and the cottage since the very moment she and her mother laid eyes upon it. Sometimes she felt truly bewildered by the connection she felt toward the land and the feelings of peace it instilled in her. There was just no describing it. The realtor explained all about the previous owner's obsession with cultivating that land and how quickly it grew in popularity before he finally retired. After looking through so many different houses; bigger ones, far more modern as well, there wasn't any way she and her mother would pass this one up. They purchased it nearly the same day they saw it. That was nearly thirteen years ago; thus far the longest she and her mother had ever stayed in one place.

Paige never had an issue making things grow and had a knack for it before she could even talk. There was precious little that she loved more than tending to various flowers, fruits and anything else she had managed to entertain in her previous gardens, but this field was huge. She could and had planted many things, uprooting some of the duller flowers and replacing them with her narcissus and a few of her other favorites. Unfortunately, since starting her first year of college, it had become more of a chore than a joy to maintain. Doing so would eat up too much of her time. As such, she had an in-ground irrigation system installed, so "watering the plants" now meant flicking a switch and returning to her studies.

Long gone were the days of happily plodding behind her mother in her neon green rain boots, carrying a tiny floral watering can and covered up to her knees in mud. She never lost the love of watching the flowers bloom every year and would spend many an afternoon gazing out her window and out over the meadow. Nevertheless, as she grew older, a few months out of every year she would inexplicably feel nothing but disdain and boredom with her garden. The ennui and lack of interest only caused her mother to push her all the more to tend to them. Her mother was also the driving force behind her college major in botany and plant biology, not that she had any real complaints about it.

"Enjoy and cherish every second of your garden. The sun, the smell of flowers. You do not understand how terribly you'd miss it if it disappeared," her mother would always chide, an affectionate squeeze around her shoulders or playful tap on the head usually accompanying the statement.

Taking a bite out of her breakfast and palming the rest of the apple in her hand, she takes a look over the field and inhales deeply. The breeze carries the scent of a myriad of flowers and fragrant herbs, lazily drifting past her and brushing a few stray strands of hair into her face and tickling her nose. She lets loose a purposefully loud and dramatic sneeze, meant to get a jump out of her nervous-natured mother. Grinning wildly at the resulting yip emanating from the house, she finishes her apple, spins the keychain around one of her fingers and turns to head for the car. However, she stops abruptly and nearly topples over when she spies the same floral watering can she has utilized since childhood. Picking it up with a childish and gleeful smile, Paige turns to head back out to the field.

Once she nears the edge of the vast meadow and spotting what it was she's looking for, Paige clutches her watering can and sits down at the small tree for a moment. It was here that she discovered the little sapling when they first moved in years ago. She visited it every day; watered it, tended to it, nurtured it and poured all her effort into it. It flourished so quickly, seemingly happy to grow with her. This year it finally bore fruit: large, heavy pomegranates, in various stages of ripeness.

Careful not to disturb the growing fruit, Paige waters the tree, clearing away any weeds beginning to sprout around it and proceeds to sit down beneath it. She then reaches up to analyze one of the lower-hanging fruits. A wide smile crosses her face as she feels a sense of accomplishment. Soon after, she leans back on her palms, tilting her face towards the sun and soaking it in while the shade of the forest behind her cools her back. Leaning against the thin trunk of her pomegranate tree, she remains blissfully unaware of the dark figure looming and watching over her as she dozes off.


	5. Ethereal

Chapter 5:

Hades stops short of the familiar field and his eyes zero in on a petite woman. Her long, jet black hair is damp and falling in loose, tangled curls down her back. Her face is tilted up to the sun and her eyes are closed as she soaks in the warmth. He allows himself to drop his gaze further down. Cream colored skin, a bountiful chest and heavy hips meeting at a thin waist. Her legs stay chastely tucked under her scarlet and purple sundress and her feet peek out from under the cloth, clad in sandals.

The moment he saw her reach for the lowest hanging pomegranate, a pang of recognition flared through him. It gave way to a new feeling; one of utter disbelief at this cruel joke. Could it be? For every second that he remained standing there, watching her, he was overcome with a new emotion. Anger, frustration, love, and so many other feelings which cannot be so succinctly described. The myriad losses he had suffered for so long were driving the god nearly to a state of madness. The most maddening part of it all was the knowledge that, this time, Demeter practically laid Persephone in his lap.

Hades disappears with a snap of his fingers, frightening a flock of birds and inadvertently snapping Paige out of her short sunbath. She stands and brushes off her shins and dress, slips her sandals back into place and grabs the watering can as she quickly picks up where she left off and heads to her car to finish other various chores and errands.

Back in his realm, Hades makes his way down one of the marble hallways, stopping just short of reaching a small, barren courtyard that is laid out before a pantheon. As he leans against the entrance to the small garden, he notes the only sign of life within it is a small spring to the side. While the water remained fresh and clean, free of stagnancy, it brought no life to the soil surrounding it, nor to any other part of the courtyard. Glancing forward, he is less than surprised to see that the ivy that shut out everyone but its mistress was still dry and dead, though still guarding the doors leading inside. He pushes away from the doorway, turning back to head to the Room of Judgement before pausing; eyes widening as his next plan of action occurs to him and he turns down yet another hallway, unlit and immersed in darkness.

Hades makes his way through the maze-like corridors, never needing a light to guide him as the floor itself seems to obey his whims, leading him where he wishes to go. Soon, the murky atmosphere turns into brighter light and fresh air; a large staircase stands before him. He begins a slow ascent, lost deep in his thoughts as he climbs.

Finally, the God of the Underworld appears outside a cold, stone door and heaves it open with both hands, scoffing at the scene before him the moment he enters the room. Three little girls dressed in different colors are standing around a spinning wheel. The girls don't look up from what they are doing as they giggle and focus on the task at hand: the youngest in green and working the spinning wheel; the second tallest dressed in white and pulling the thread to measure it; and finally the oldest, in red, carefully lining her shears up to the thread and snipping it in half.

"Well, he lived quite a joyous life, didn't he?" chirps the smallest of the three.

"If you can call womanizing joyful," snarks the middle child.

"We'll have to do something a bit better for his widow," the last child supplies.

"Moirai," Hades snarls at the three children.

"Clotho," says the one in green.

"Lachesis," says the one in white.

"Atropos," says the girl in red in her sweet, sing-song, childlike voice.

"Hades," continues Clotho. "I feel you are here for a matter of utmost urgency if you dare interrupt us."

"You are toying with me," exclaims Hades. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. What is Demeter up to?"

Lachesis is the first to continue the fates usual speaking pattern.

"Demeter is doing as she always is."

"Doing what she always has done," murmurs Atropos.

"And what she always will be doing," concludes Clotho.

Lachesis turns a bright, cheery smile up to Hades, before continuing with her sisters.

"If you mean to find your wife, however…"

"She's been born, 20 years ago, in mortal years," says Atropos.

"And if your question is if this is a joke…" continues Clotho.

"It's not," pipes Lachesis again, cheerily as usual.

"But it will be as it always was," says Atropos.

"If you do not repeat history…" says Clotho.

"She will live a long mortal life," says Lachesis matter-of-factly, tapping the measuring rod impatiently against Clotho's shoulder.

"Clotho saw it when she spun her thread," adds Atropos.

"Though if the mortal path is taken, it will be without you." Clotho nods sagely as she draws out yet another thread.

"Her fate is split, depending on your actions," Lachesis teases, wagging a finger at the god before measuring the thread Clothos had drawn out.

"To have her, you must repeat your history." Atropos cuts the thread they were working on the second she utters the last word.

The three Fates turn their back on Hades and continue their work, giggling and murmuring amongst themselves as if he was no longer there… and he wasn't. Hades isn't allowed to so much as blink before he finds himself back in the Underworld, in his room. Throwing his arm wide, he smashes a marble column; pieces are sent flying all over the bed and the floor. The structure quickly rebuilds itself as if it were expecting it, accustomed to the god's temperamental nature. Hades breathes deeply and raggedly while trying to reign in his fury.

Deciding he was unfinished with his outburst, he lifts the large marble bed and throws it at his door, taking out the entire wall and leaving a large hole peering out into the hallway. One of the more laid back judges, Rhadamanthus, pokes his head in; eyes widening almost comically as he stares at the furious figure within.

"I'll just... be getting this," he murmurs, making his way through the rubble and down the hallway as the building once again begins to repair itself.


	6. Acquired

I have a feeling you've been waiting for this event. It will be covered from both perspectives, this chapter from Paige's, the next from Hades'.

As always, read and review, but most importantly, enjoy!

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Chapter 6: Acquired

Upon arriving back home from her errands, Paige walks through the front door of the cottage; screen door crashing behind her as she kicks it shut, arms too full to complete the task. She unceremoniously dumps the armful of grocery bags on the kitchen counter and approaches the living room, only to overhear a heated exchange of hushed voices. Pushing open the door, Paige finds her mother glaring angrily at a very stunning man clothed in purple robes that seemed so far out of place from the modern-day garb.

"I – uh… am I interrupting anything?" Paige inquires shyly, eyes darting from her mother to the man and inspecting him a bit closer. His build was equal to that of a god; heavily muscled, tan with platinum blonde hair and eyes of such an unnatural golden hue that all she could do was just stand there in silence and awe as she gazed at him, mouth agape.

"It's nothing, Helios was _just_ leaving," her mother snapped sharply.

"Ah, Demeter, what sort of way is that to talk to one of your oldest, closest and most reliable friends?" asks the man before looking over to Paige and breaking into a large grin, startling the already stunned girl.

"Well hel-lo, dollface! You must be Paige. Your mother has told me so little about you. The name is Hal, I haven't gone by Helios in quite a long while, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Hal flexes in a playful jest, winking and startling the young woman a second time, earning him an exasperated sound of annoyance from Demeter.

"I – uh…" Paige repeats her earlier sentiment and looks to her mother in confusion, a blush staining the young woman's cheeks as she shies closer to the doorway.

Growing increasingly wary as the handsome man follows and approaches her, regardless of her obvious discomfort, she manages to find herself trapped against the wall. Finding her personal space being invaded, her anxiety level rises enough to snap at the man.

" _Dude_ ," she exclaims, "personal bubble, please!"

"She's so different from when I knew her…" he says. Ignoring her request, he reaches out and strokes his calloused fingers over the girl's jawline, tilting her chin up as he notes her vibrant green eyes. His grin widens further when Paige blushes darker under his appraisal. "So shy… Those eyes, though…"

Helios is cut short by a sharp slap. His hand drops from the girl's face as Demeter half-circles the man, snarling at him like a feral cat and her face flushed with anger.

"Go outside Paige, pick some flowers or something… and _you_! _Get out of my house_! Don't you have horses to tend to or something to do other than bothering us? Certainly you have other major affairs to dally in and spy upon!" She nearly screeches the last part and whips her head around to glare at her daughter.

"I said go outside!" Eyes widening at the brutal snap of her mother's tone, Paige quickly retreats from the room and heads back outside at a quick clip.

"You can't do this forever, Dem. You'll doom us all if the mortals die out. They are starting to become too numerous. Their medicine is advanced and they live for so long compared to the mortals around during our golden years. It's some now, or all later if something isn't done soon!" Helios drops his carefree facade to whisper harshly to the older woman.

"Hades may have given up. However, if you're content watching your daughter be reborn instead of simply absent for a few months every year, soon you'll lose the option of her being reborn at all. Is that really so horrid of a prospect? How long must this continue before you stop trying to rewrite our history? Will you not stop until we are all nothing?" He growls out, sauntering out of the room and towards the front door.

Pausing for a moment before exiting the house, he murmurs just loud enough to carry to Demeter's ears.

"He wasn't an unfit husband to her before; I doubt it's changed over all these centuries..." He trails off for a moment while staring out the screen door, only to continue. "Think about that, Dem. Really consider the gravity of the situation. For all of us. For _her_."

Left standing in the living room, Demeter's face grows gaunt and her shoulders slump in resignation while Helios strides outside and into the gardens.

It doesn't take him more than a few seconds to spot the young woman, her distress quite apparent as her hands shake from nervousness. Watching for a minute longer as she stoops down to pick a few blooms and beginning to harvest vegetables and various berries, he meanders toward her. Coming up behind her and placing his hand upon her shoulder, he startles the already frazzled girl, voice soft and quiet in order to disarm her gently.

"I noticed you are growing a pomegranate tree in the far edge of the field. Have you tried one before?"

"N-no…" Paige stammers at first, soon regaining some of her confidence, "It bore fruit for the first time this year. I've been tending that tree since my mother and I came to live here when I was rather young. I don't know what I'm doing with it and I don't know when they will be ripe enough to pick."

Helios nods and pets her shoulder once again before squatting down beside her as she picks and meticulously selects various berries; every so often one makes its way into her mouth instead of her basket.

"They look as if they are already quite ready. They have a special, unique taste, you know," he grins to himself before continuing. "Pomegranate trees are also incredibly difficult to grow. The fact that you made one bloom so vibrantly without full understanding speaks volumes."

Paige nods her head in agreement, accepting the compliment with a practiced deflection and having nothing to say in return.

"Well then, I won't keep you any longer. Your mother is a scary woman and I have important work to do. And you… you have the fruits of your labor to enjoy," he concludes, giving Paige another quick wink before strolling off the field and down the dirt road that leads up to the cottage.

Paige watches as Helios walks away before looking down at her basket; filled with a myriad of berries, vegetables and flowers. Finding the quantity to be sufficient, she walks back to the house and lays the basket on the porch. She then turns on her heel and makes her way to her pomegranate tree. Upon reaching it, she sits in her spot beneath it and soaks in the last of the day's warmth; the sun seemingly retreating at a quicker pace than usual, while still melting away the last of her skittishness. She sighs softly to herself in contentment, her eyes growing heavy with the setting sun, before lifting herself back onto her feet and looking over the tree. Deftly, she reaches for the one fruit she had examined earlier, the color nearly matching the deep red and purple of her sundress, and plucks it. Turning it over in her hands, she scratches at the skin with dull nails in an attempt to open it but finds the task quite difficult. Once fully engrossed in the petty challenge, Paige doesn't notice the shadows suddenly growing and looming over her from behind.

" _Allow me to assist you_." A deep voice, quiet, yet with a tone of power stops her mid-effort.

Letting out a startled gasp, the young woman looks up and turns her head to the voice of her visitor. Her mouth is suddenly covered by a large, slightly chilled hand. Just as quickly, she's jerked back and crushed against a chest; the abrupt movement into the plated torso elicits a pitiful, pained cry from her which is suppressed against the man's palm. After a few moments of pause and the sensation of a warm breath against her neck and ear, the last things she recalls are the sounds of whinnying horses, their hooves stamping the ground, and the rumbling of shifting earth before the sky is shut out and she is dragged downward with her captor.


	7. Homecoming

A little bit of humor in this chapter from my personal favourite, Charon. Thank you for the reviews!

i: Always a pleasure to see you gracing the review board. I have quite a few chapters saved up and I'm actually trying to pace myself. I only try to update once each calendar day that way I can sort through and write out the following chapters. I refuse to have people willing to read this story wait weeks between each tidbit.

madam thome: Your quick reviews are greatly appreciated, any recognition from a reader is more than I hope for and glad you've stuck with me!

Now, onto the chapter that was my favourite to write so far.

As always, I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 7:

Hades paces about his chambers furiously, muttering to himself as his movements become more and more erratic, his madness causing the waters of Styx to roar and become turbulent. Soon the walls finish rebuilding themselves and the bed reforms, settling back into its proper place. He storms out into the hallway and to the coastline. Once there, he stops and his voice booms and rings through the entire Underworld.

"Orphnaeus, Aethon, Nyctaeus, Alastor!" he calls. Reins appear in the god's hands and he grips them tightly as four black horses materialize, yoked to a golden chariot that he quickly climbs aboard.

"You know where to head; we're going to reclaim what is ours," Hades commands, snapping the reins hard and sending the horses forward. The entire Underworld shakes; the river, earth and the palace cleave in twain as he races forward. He passes by Charon, the wind caused by the violent departure whipping the ferryman's robes; the man seemingly unperturbed and remaining steady on his feet while still petting and stroking the resting Cerberus' fur, grinning wickedly.

"Why, Cerberus… it seems we will gain a queen this day. What are your feelings about this?" Charon pats one of the noses and all three heads lift slightly, giving small chuffing sounds of indifference.

"Well then, let's be prepared to greet her upon arrival. Sound good?" Charon inquires, hood tilting back when he regards the canine and receiving a low groan from all three of the beast's heads in return.

The ferryman turns back to watch the god depart, the entire Underworld shifting itself back into place as he continues his ascension. Soon, the river resumes its flow as if it were never disturbed. Every piece of gold, column of marble and every speck of dust fall back into their original place behind Hades' chariot.

"I won't waste this chance. This will be the last attempt." Hades mutters to himself, eye alit with centuries of frustration and anger.

Snapping the reins again, the horses bolt forward; the earth splits and opens before them as they reach the mortal realm. Upon spotting the sun in the sky, Hades pulls back on the reins and the horses immediately halt. Promptly stepping down from his chariot, he weaves his way through the forest until he finds the familiar field. The sun is setting at a quickened pace and leaves a foreboding feeling in the air. Soon, he spots what he was searching for: his Persephone, under the same tree he could never manage to grow. A pomegranate weighs heavily in her small hands as she grips and tears at its flesh with her dull and ineffective nails.

"Allow me to assist you," says Hades in a hushed tone, smirking to himself as he sidles up behind the girl.

Quickly, he slips an arm around her waist and pulls her back to his body; his free hand covering her mouth to quell any screaming. He pauses for a moment, burying his face against the crook of her neck and inhaling the familiar scent that she has carried through every life, both mortal and immortal. It was the scent of sun and flowers, sweet fruits and vanilla; his control slips as he presses her harder into him until she lets out a squeak of pain.

Coming back to his senses, he pulls her back into the darkness of the woods. Soon enough, his four horses appear beside them. Hades drags her into his chariot and with a quick crack of the reins, the earth once again cleaving in two to swallow the chariot and lead its passengers back into the Underworld. He feels the weight of the girl grow slightly heavier, the thrum and beating of her heart pounding hard against his forearm as he realizes she had fainted, most likely from the adrenaline.

"In my excitement, I have forgotten that you are still but a mortal." Hades clicks his tongue, clutching the girl a bit tighter, shifting her in his grip. He slows the horses as they approach the gate, which opens upon recognizing its master and allows them to pass. Dismounting the chariot, he gathers the girl in his arms and awaits Charon who has yet to bring in the boat from his last ferry of souls. As her scent drifts through the Underworld and to the noses of Cerberus, all three heads lift to inspect Hades' mortal parcel; nostrils flaring as they whiff the air while staring at the girl intensely. Suddenly, the beast rights itself and trots over, nose pushing at Hades in order to better sniff; the girl remaining unconscious despite the jostling. Giving the dog a sneer of irritation, he allows the heads to inspect the source of the familiar smell, but pulls away the moment Charon reaches the shore. He steps into the boat before it's even fully docked.

"She looks much different from how I remember our queen," Charon comments offhandedly.

The ferryman steps back into the boat after Hades and pushes off from the dock without another word being shared between the two. After a short while, the girl begins stirring in the god's arms, the cold temperature of his skin and the chilled air that surrounds them speeding her recovery. With her head lolling over the side of his arm, the first things Paige sees upon opening her eyes are Charon's rotting hands, tight around the pole as he guides the boat along the river. A gasp becomes caught in her throat as she lets her gaze travel upward, taking in his hooded appearance. The ferryman looks over at her and gives her a toothy grin, one side of his cheek rotted and hollow as he gives her a solitary wink from his good eye. Paige lets out a short scream before her fear overcomes her and she quiets, brought into another faint.

"She is much more flighty, unsure and weak-kneed, or so it seems." Charon mutters quietly.

"She is, was, and forever shall be queen of this realm. I suggest you remember that," Hades replies coldly as Charon hides a smirk.

"I do not doubt for a moment that she is my queen. How you act proves it far more than she has," replies the ferryman, letting the pole drag along the riverbed to slow the boat as they approach the palace.

Hades disembarks onto the bank and follows the marble steps upwards, making a beeline for his chambers. He lays the girl down upon his bed, the cold sheets making her shift and stir but not awakening her. He slowly closes the doors and retreats to the Room of Judgement to contemplate his next move as his mind torments him with darker things. Lurid thoughts of his new Persephone ebb at his control. Thinking of these things draw his body taut; stirrings of heat and desire coil low in his belly. He lets out an exasperated sigh that does little to relieve his tension as he resigns himself to his throne, fingers drumming against the armrests once again; a pensive expression resting across his face. Finally, he plucks his list of those awaiting judgement out of the air and devotes himself to his work while his queen recovers.


	8. Recollection

This chapter has a bit of an M feel to it, forewarning.

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Chapter 8:

Paige awakens to find herself engulfed by a sea of black silk and cotton, while blankets and pillows filled with the softest feather down surround her; haphazardly skewed from her sleep. She sits up to examine her surroundings, a large, empty room with large marble walls and columns, the bed itself being the only real form of decoration to it and contrasting dramatically with the stark white walls.

 _'Don't freak out… don't freak out. What do you remember Paige? The tree, home, Hal…'_ She thought to herself, mind scattered as she strains to collect the fractured images of her memories.

 _'I was outside in the field; I had just finished talking to Hal. The pomegranate tree… then a hand and arm around my waist, horses and the earth swallowing me. There was the face of a rotted man, gruesome hands that gripped a pole, a boat and a cold embrace.'_

Paige shakes her head to clear the thoughts from it, her legs swinging off to the side of the large bed as she scoots off of it and letting out a small gasp when her bare feet touch the freezing floor.

"This doesn't make any sense," she murmurs to herself, a look of confusion plain on her face. "I must be dreaming. I hit my head and have fallen into a coma, I'm really in the hospital and this is just a hallucination."

Walking to the doorway, she pauses with her hand on the doorknob as she listens carefully for anyone approaching. Upon hearing nothing suspicious, she slowly pushes open the door and steps out into a long, white marble hallway seeming to go endlessly on in both directions. Decidedly turning to the left, she walks down the hall as a heavy sense of déjà vu overwhelms her the moment she approaches a barren courtyard; columns with dead vines that had climbed their way up them at some point and withered trees and saplings lining a path to a small pantheon. Curiosity soon overcomes the woman as she follows the path to the steps leading upwards, climbing them; too entranced by the building to notice the vines, trees and other greenery as it springs to life behind her every step.

Once she reaches the top, she notices double doors which are shut tight with copious amounts of ivy, long since dead. Paige doesn't so much as touch the two before they crack open, ajar just enough to allow her to squeeze inside. Gazing into the room, she spots a bed with sea green blankets and pillows in such plentiful amounts that they overflow onto the floor. Her eyes then climb the walls, paintings of a man and woman quite obviously together, of landscapes showing barren trees that are covered in white and various others that don't garner as much attention from her. Looking back to the painting of the couple, she examines both figures; the man of a pale, almost grey skin, bald with a serious, grave look upon his face yet the painting captures a sense of mischief and warmth in his dark brown eyes. Now, as for the woman, sun-kissed skin is depicted with freckles splashed across her nose, long tendrils of the darkest red hair and familiar green eyes crinkled with humor as if the painting captured the moment a secret joke was shared between the two. Paige stops for a moment, backing up until she bumps into the side of the bed and topples back into it, visions of the couple swimming in her head.

* * *

 _The woman is straddling the man, his hands gripping her hips as her chest is bared to him, her head thrown back and red hair unkempt and tossed behind her, contrasting greatly with the same sea green sheets that pool around her thighs. He lifts himself to meet her part way, watching her as she undulates and her honey-colored body dances above him, swaying and rocking in an entrancing rhythm until his arms suddenly slip behind her back, crushing her to his chest and forcing her beneath as the movements turn violent but passionate. Moments later, the woman lets out a throaty cry, the man following with a growl and shout of his own as the lovers lock in each other's embrace and go still, a small giggle of delight soon bubbling from the woman's mouth._

" _Hades…" she murmurs before her mouth is covered by his own and she's silenced._

* * *

Paige snaps out of the vision, the room seeming to have changed as she groggily shakes her head and takes a second glance around. All the dust has vanished and ivy, lush and emerald green has crawled up the inner walls and the room appears more alive, brighter and welcoming than when she had first stepped in. Soon, the door is pushed further open and her attention is snapped to it, backing up against the headboard of the bed as the man from the painting walks in.

"I thought I may find you here, my Persephone," he whispers softly, the words carrying to her ears as easily as if he was right beside her.

"My name is Paige," she shakily replies.

"In this life, you may be, but in your first life, you were Persephone, my wife, my queen, my goddess." He walks closer to the bed where she lays, many different emotions flickering across his face as the woman withdraws further away from him.

"You have lived and died, been reborn countless times and I have chased you across centuries, while your mother has hidden you from me, allowing you to succumb to the mortal curse – death. So many gods and goddesses have lost their immortality, including you." He watches her silently after he speaks his piece, trying to gauge her reaction.

"I'm not divine. I'm not immortal, I'm not Persephone, I'm Paige. I'm not a queen and I most certainly, am not your wife," she replies acidly, her usual nervous demeanor dropped.

"You most certainly are. The Underworld has recognized you, this room we're in, they are your chambers. That ivy is climbing and blooming in a land where no life is found. I cannot grow plants in this realm, but you can. I toiled in those fields in the mortal realm, I planted that sapling. I made it all grow except for that single tree. Do you even know our story?" Hades tone grows bitter as his control flickers.

"No," is her simple reply. "I'm finding I care less and less for the knowledge, the more you speak."

"Do you not see how this realm greets you, what your presence alone has brought about? You belong here, I will not stand by and let you slip through my fingers when I have you so close!" He shouts the last remark, stalking towards the woman slowly.

"You're insane, or I'm insane. I'm dreaming, a nightmare, soon my mother will find me and wake –" she is cut off by Hades sudden, booming voice.

"Do not mention that mother of yours in my realm!" He shouts at her, Paige quickly withdrawing further away from him and slipping off the other side of the bed to put more space between them.

"I am not insane, I'm furious! You don't remember me; you've never thought of me, you don't at least recognize your eyes in our portrait? You think this is a nightmare, you think I'm a figment of your imagination and you cling to that damned Demeter, the one who ripped you from me and kept me from finding you through all your lifetimes! You will remember me, so help us, you will remember, if your mind won't recognize me, I'm sure your body will."


	9. Gravity

Now, this relationship is meant to be volatile. This will not be a healthy dynamic just yet, Hades is one of the more mercurial of the gods and I'll take any chance I get to display his rapid change from hot to cold and back again.

i: I corrected the mistake in the first paragraph. Anything in italics is a memory of Persephone herself, a past life or a thought, for future reference. Thank you for the feedback!

As always, read and review, but most of all, ENJOY.

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Chapter 9: Gravity

Following Hades' outburst, Paige stares at him for only a few seconds before bringing her hand up and violently slapping herself across the face. She gasps, startled moreso by the fact that she wasn't dreaming than the pain itself.

"Well... fudge," she breathes out, her wary gaze settling on the irate god before her.

Infuriated by her display of disbelief, Hades bolts forward and grabs Paige by the wrist, yanking her forward and bringing her against the chest plate of his armor. He picks her up bridal style; the woman shivering from the cold touch of metal and his skin as he stalks out of the pantheon. A gasp escapes her when she takes in the scenery before her. All the trees, vines and various other plants that were withered just moments ago had sprung to life; the trees, all bearing pomegranate, are heavy with fruit and the vines are blooming fragrantly with tiny flowers. As Hades walks down the path with her, the plants recoil from him, then tentatively reach for her.

"They recognize you. Don't be surprised," he snaps coldly, stopping halfway through the courtyard. His fury abating, he sets her down on her feet.

"I strongly advise against running anywhere else without myself or another proper escort as this realm accommodates beings that would love to sink teeth into a mortal such as you," says Hades. Stopping the question that forms on her lips before she can even voice it, he continues.

"You are the queen of the Underworld; a goddess reborn. Nevertheless, you are still mortal until certain criteria are met. You will be staying in my chambers at night, yet during the day, you are free to do as you wish within this courtyard and in your room. Almost anything you desire will be provided to you."

"Almost anything?" Paige inquires, looking up at him.

"There are certain circumstances I will not allow to come to pass," he replies, softly yet sternly. "I will not be returning you to your mother for quite a long time."

"But you will return me to her?" she asks, earnestly searching his face for a sign of deception.

"It's inevitable. Now, follow me... Unless you prefer being carried; I would be elated to be able to hold you against me." Hades gives her a lascivious grin, which widens the moment her cheeks burn scarlet.

As the two continue down the path, Hades extends a hand out to snatch a pomegranate from one of the trees. The branches recoil from his reaching grasp, but he successfully plucks a fruit and relinquishes it to her.

"I believe you were hungry, and I recall you were halfway to getting one open before I-"

"Kidnapped me?" interjects Paige.

"That word leaves something to be desired, my pet. You aren't a child; from what I've noticed, you're a remarkable woman." he says, grinning again at her. She remains silent.

They continue their walk as they enter the hallway, passing by the chambers she had awoken in. Arriving at the following door, he pauses.

"This is the bathing room. You need only to imagine whatever clothes you desire and the nymphs will attend to you."

"Nymphs?" she asks.

"Your attendants. Of course, you don't remember. However, they will certainly remember you." With that, Hades pushes open the door and allows her to walk into the room.

"I'll leave you here to bathe and dress. I suggest you collect yourself before I fill you in further," he concludes before closing the door and walking away.

Paige's eyes widen as she steps into the room, expecting porcelain baths and elaborate shower-heads and instead finding large, smooth boulders and a sizable spring in the middle which she finds is much more to her liking. Two markedly female figures, as clear as the water that they are made from, splash and disappear into the depths of the pool. She sits upon a rock in the grotto, dipping her bare feet into the steamy water before she's suddenly jerked from her perch and dragged under, her dress being ripped from her as hands stroke and pet over her body. The feeling isn't invasive, in fact she finds it quite comforting and she has no difficulty breaking the surface, gasping for air and staring at two nondescript faces, seemingly made out of water.

"What…" Paige trails off.

"We're nymphs!" they say in unison. "Water nymphs to be exact, or Crinaeae to be exactly exact, and you are Persephone!" Hereafter, the nymphs' unified speech ceases and transitions into a bombardment of excited babble.

"It's been such a long time!"

"Too long!"

"We've missed you!"

"Minthe hasn't, though."

"Minthe doesn't comprehend what's healthy for her, obviously."

"Obviously! However, that's beside the point. The significant point is that you're back!"

"Home!"

"With your husband!"

"Ahhh, Hades..." one of them sighs dreamily, an unwelcome pang of jealousy tugging at Paige.

"So handsome… his devotion to you is legendary."

"Hush, don't let Zeus hear you say as much. That man's awfully prideful; you remember what happened to Narcissus."

"Oh come off it. We're off point again, sister."

"He's not my husband, I'm not Persephone." interjects Paige the moment they pause long enough for her to speak.

"Oh, you are, no doubt about it. You're just flawed."

"Excuse me?" inquires Paige, a slight scowl adorning her features.

The nymphs continue chatting, ignoring the young woman's protest.

"Tsk. Mortal still."

"And a virgin. Though that's fitting, isn't it?"

"He'll be quite amused, I think. It'll be their story, all over again."

"Wait, what story? How are you even aware I'm a vir-" is all Paige can spit out before she is cut off again.

"We just know," quips one of the nymphs. "Now, how about washing up?" she continues, leading Paige to the other side of the grotto and giving her sister a slight nod.

Taking the hint, the other nymph reaches for the previously dropped pomegranate and slips back over; her grin hidden in her aqueous form as she offers it to Paige.

"Your breakfast, my dearest friend," she says silkily, handing the fruit back to her.

The nymphs take turns dragging and playing with the woman; talking as easily as if they'd known her forever. A few of Paige's fears subside while they chatter incessantly and put her at ease, guiding the water to massage and caress her skin and muscles until she's fully relaxed and in danger of falling asleep. As they pull her out onto a low, flat rock they instruct her on how to conjure her wardrobe, progressing so far as to outfit her the first time in a sheer, silver gossamer. Once they part ways, Paige grips the pomegranate and steps back out into the hall, the cold air immediately making her shudder and quiver. All the warmth the spring instilled in her falls away as the weight of the situation she's found herself in settles back onto her shoulders.


	10. Familiarity

I'll admit, when I wrote the first paragraph, I had Ron Burgundy's voice in my head "I have many... leather-bound books and my desk is made of rich mahogany."

Coconutmango: You should totally put your story back up. I had a hard time figuring out how to edit the chapters once posted. The process is a bit convoluted, I'll admit, but it's nice to be able to go back and touch up past chapters. You need to go to Doc Manager, edit the chapter, save it, then manage stories and upload/replace the old chapter with the new edit. Hope that helps, looking forward to seeing your writing, too!

Madame thome: Your succinct sentences always make me smile, thanks for the reviews

i: Never stop filling me in on what I can do to improve my work. An English major and three different editing systems can still miss simple nuances.

As usual, read and review, any questions or suggestions are welcome as well!

Enjoy!

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Chapter 10: Familiarity

Paige walks a bit further down the hall and discovers three doors. Just as she lays her hand upon the first one, she hears voices from the third. Curiosity overcoming her, she finds herself sauntering over and eavesdropping on the conversation. She hears four male voices, only one of which is familiar, passing judgment and arguing over the fate of something or another. Stepping back, she opts instead to open the second door. Upon cracking it open and peering inside, she sees a room not unlike a study. Within the room were a velvet lounge chair and various leather bound books, messy scrolls and a motley of other documents scattered around every table and desk.

Letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Paige enters the room and begins tidying up. As she cleans, she reads bits and pieces of whatever she picks up. Little of it was in English, but she could still fill in the blanks. She toils for quite a few hours, stopping every so often to become absorbed in a book, notably the more illustrated ones. In time, the room is back in order.

With her hands akimbo, Paige surveys the room with the intention of double-checking her work. Her gaze falls onto a lone scroll sticking out a bit further than the rest. Rather than forcing it back into place, she carefully plucks the scroll from the shelf and unrolls it upon the nearest table. The writing on the scroll was in an unfamiliar language, but the words were accompanied by colorful panoramic illustrations. Gazing upon the panels, she sees a lone, grey skinned man clad in armor, with a helm held under his arm.

"Hades," she whispers to herself.

The next panel shows a red haired maiden tending to flowers in a field.

"Persephone," she says, speaking softer than before.

Feeling a jolt of familiarity again, she continues. The next image shows the god abducting the maiden, flowers scattering across the field as the earth swallows them. The chariot that transports the couple is led by four horses. In the subsequent illustrations, she sees Hades offering Persephone his hand; lying within his hand were six seeds. The adjacent picture displays a landscape similar to the painting in her room, featuring barren trees covered in snow. The next illustration gives her pause; an impeccable depiction of her mother, wandering aimlessly as if searching.

She trails the string of artwork through the rest of the story, alternating between feelings of deep despair and renewed hope. Each drawing instills a new emotion. Eventually, the scroll depicts an elaborate throne room, wherein Persephone is wrapped up in the arms of a man. She can tell the man is not Hades. Suddenly, Paige is lulled into another vision.

 _She finds herself in a room with an empty throne and two stone chairs at the far end. Upon both chairs sits a man, trapped and partially encased in stone. This time she isn't watching as an outsider looking in, but as a participant. Above her stands an irate and jealous Hades, who has pinned her wrists above her head._

 _"Toying with mortal men? You underestimate my greed. You are my wife, bound to me for eternity, and yet you have forgotten your place as my queen." he says, snarling at her._

 _"Pirithous has learned his lesson. Lord husband, it is time to set him free," says Paige, though the words are not her own._

 _"The crime of lusting over the God of the Underworld's wife is not easily atoned for. Tell me, sweet wife, what were your plans if he decided to acquire you on his way to freedom?" asks Hades, staring stonily down at her, his hands refusing to relax their ever-tightening grip on her delicate wrists._

 _"He would not have dared to risk your ire a second time by attempting that," she retorts, meeting his gaze without fear._

 _"I can't decide which has me more incensed. Your decision to sabotage my judgment of this pitiful mort-"_

 _"He is not pitiful!" Interjects Persephone, gasping as soon as she says it._

 _Hades leans down slowly, his lips pressing against her ear as he murmurs softly into it._

 _"Humour your husband, my dearest pet. What was it you just said?" He nuzzles the warm column of his wife's throat, his rage barely restrained as he inhales the perfume of her skin._

 _"I'm versed in this game too well, my lord," she murmurs softly, voice subdued and tinged with the smallest amount of pain as one of his hands drops down to tangle in her wild hair and forces her face to gaze up at him._

 _"You belong to me, and I to you. Nevertheless, this is my decision. He will atone as I deem fit, and I will never share you with a mortal such as your dear Pirithous. Oh, and let us not forget Adonis. No man, be he mortal or god, will ever acquire a taste of you." His grip tightens in her hair, eliciting a cry from the goddess as his lips ghost over her jawline._

 _"Do not cross me again, my lady."_

 _"What about Minthe?" she supplies in her defense. "You are not without your own admirers."_

 _"Has she yet been able to escape your punishment?" inquires Hades, catching Persephone's earlobe between his teeth._

 _She arches and whimpers, cooing sweetly at him as she mewls a soft response._

 _"Your point is made, lord husband." says Persephone._

 _"Never thwart my verdict again. Remember this, my queen: your pride and greed are as terrible as my own. However, I have methods of correcting your behaviour that will leave you speechless and blushing for years to come. This is not an idle threat, my pet, it's a promise."_

 _Hades draws his wife against his chest, crushing her against him as she clutches the front of his robes. A fine quiver runs through her body, betraying her vexation with him._

 _"Be calm, my Persephone," he says in a soothing tone. "I fully expect retribution from you and I will gladly accept your fury. Still, I will not permit anyone, be they a mortal man or petulant goddess, to steal a single day of my brief few months with you. I will never share."_

 _Her fiery countenance gives way to a deeply serene expression. She presses her lips against the cooled underside of his jaw as the last of her outrage melts away._

 _"I understand," she murmurs, feeling the brush of her husband's mouth against the top of her head._

Paige snaps out of her reverie once again, with unfamiliar aching on her earlobe and her wrists. After rubbing her wrists a bit, she rolls the scroll back up and places it on the shelf.

Soon, her stomach begins to growl at her and she scans the room for where she had left the pomegranate. Upon locating it, she meticulously and with determination claws and rips at the flesh; her efforts ultimately prove themselves ineffective. She brings the white pith up to her mouth, giving it an experimental nip, the bitter taste causing her mouth to warp into a moue of disgust. As she reaches over to set it down, a cold hand stops her and takes the fruit gently from her fingers.

"That's not the part you eat," says Hades. "Allow me to assist you."

Hades cracks the fruit open with little difficulty, exposing the dark maroon seeds inside and plucks out a half dozen. He palms the seeds and holds them out to her.

"Here, I promise it's unlike anything you've ever tasted in this lifetime."


	11. Contract

I cried a little writing this one. Might have something to do because I went on a writing bender and wrote this and three other chapters right in a row without sleep.

Whatever. Worth it.

Read, review, enjoy.

(BTW, I noticed the chapters that have more of a sexual hint in the title, have more viewers than the ones that don't. Perverts.)

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Chapter 11:

Paige hesitates before reaching into his palm and grabbing the seeds, tentatively putting one in her mouth. As she crushes it, the juice spills across her tongue and greedily she pops the other five past her lips. Hades' slight smile grows into a large grin the moment she swallows. She slowly looks up at him, a solitary drop of juice staining her lower lip. His hand rises under her chin and he lifts her face upwards, leaning in to steal a slow kiss and her lips part obligingly, allowing his tongue inside. Within it, he tastes much more than the fruit; triumph, delight and love in each dip. Hand gripping the back of her head, he resumes kissing her a bit longer, beyond elated at having her bound to him again.

He barely parts from her mouth before scooping her up into his arms. Quickly moving down the hallway and into his chambers, he dumps the young woman unceremoniously onto the bed while Paige looks up at him in confusion as he begins to undo his armor, allowing each piece to fall to the floor.

"What are you doing?" she inquires, backing up and righting herself on the bed.

"Reclaiming you as my wife," he replies, stalking toward her; one knee on the bed as he pauses.

"I didn't agree… I'm not her, don't you think this is a bit too fast?" she says, recoiling a bit further from him.

"You agreed when you ate those seeds, my pet. Don't feign ignorance, I know you're bright enough to have deciphered what was on those scrolls. I know the visions you've had, in fact, I can practically smell it on you. Even now, I bet your body aches in anticipation." He utters a low growl, approaching her despite her trepidation.

Paige lets out a short shriek, hopping off the bed and bolting out of the room. Darting down the hallway and grabbing the first door adjacent to the study, she yanks it open. She sees nothing beyond the blackness, save for a few small areas dimly lit by torches. After a moment's deliberation, she wastes no time dashing into the darkness, the furious god hot on her heels. She takes twist after turn, thoroughly losing her bearings and finally coming to a dead end as Hades stalks closer to her.

"This is one of the few places I warned you not to explore. You've broken the only rule I set. Not only that, you've denied me, disrespected me and tried to play dumb. It's a contract, my dearest Persephone. In other words, you are now bound to this realm. As it was before, you willingly ate the seeds. Your mother will inevitably force Zeus to return you to the human realm, but for the rest of the year, you will be here ruling at my side. You will recognize me as your husband and take your correct place beside me. If you refuse to stand beside me, then you will take your place beneath me. You will recognize me, and you will remember." Hades snarls as he grabs her wrist, drawing her against him.

"You had plenty of options, but you have successfully divested yourself of quite a few. I would have been gentle, I would have let you feel things you've never felt in this life. You ran, just as you had in your first life. You disobeyed me, as you had in your first life. Now, I will do as I did in your first life. We will repeat our history, my pet."

Paige lets out another tiny squeak of fright as she is drawn closer to him, her palms flat against his chest. She tries to push away, only to find his arms tightening around her and after a few moments of struggle, she finds herself hoisted and thrown over the god's shoulder. She lets out a growl, her hands balled into fists before pounding them ineffectually against his back in protest, a vision suddenly snapping into her mind.

 _The red haired woman, Persephone, is wrapped in the same gossamer dress. She is screaming, shrieking loud enough that Hades must rub his temples long before he manages to carry the struggling goddess halfway down the hallway. He soon throws her down on the marble, both of them with looks of indignation. Her face turns up towards him, a mixture of anger, lust and fright rolling off her in waves as she lifts a hand to strike him. Her hand connects with a loud slap, his head turning with the blow. Hades pauses for a moment before twisting his head back to face her, his expression absolutely incensed._

Paige finds herself on the ground, her hand stinging as she hears heavy, ragged breathing just inches away from her. Slowly, she turns to face the enraged Hades, his eyes flashing dangerously at her. He wastes no time tossing her back over his shoulder and continues navigating back through the maze.

"Oh, my dear, sweet pet. That was the correct move if you wanted to rid me of the last of my control. However, it was the wrong move if you wanted a chance of your virtue staying intact. You will remain silent if you wish to save what dignity I'll allow you to keep tonight," he murmurs darkly, simultaneously jolting her slight frame higher up on his shoulder.

Paige lets out a whimper of pure fear, the sound constricting the dark god's heart almost immediately as he brings her into his chambers again. Gently, he slips her down from his shoulder and settles her into his arms before depositing her onto the bed a second time. She opens her mouth to protest and plead, but is quickly silenced by an affectionate bump of his forehead against hers.

"I understand... I'll attempt to be more patient. Please, it's difficult to have you so near after so long. Just, please," is all he supplies to her, drawing her back against his body and nuzzling her hair; she stays still, muscles taut with distress.

Slowly, as the minutes fade by and no further aggressive measures are taken against her, she begins to relax against him. She slips her hand over his that lies curled over her hip before drawing it to her chest and hugging it to herself in silent thanks before slipping off into her dreams.

 _Priscilla had grown up among a large group of Romani people alongside her mother, Diana. They spent their time travelling, rejoicing and mostly keeping to their own people; culture playing a large part of their everyday life._

 _A blazing bonfire roars in the middle of a large clearing as men and women in mismatched, flowing fabrics dance around it. Every soul from the multiple caravans throw their voices into song and people play whatever instruments are available to them. Cheerful, filthy, impish children run around half-naked while playing. Food is passed around, drinks shared and games of luck and skill are enjoyed. A few of the older women sit at tables, shuffling their tarot decks. The young, unmarried women stick close together, giggling to one another as they send flirtatious glances at the men._

 _When night falls and their only sources of light are the fire and the moon itself, the girls enjoy their turn dancing around the bonfire. All but one send coy looks to favored suitors. Priscilla remains content dancing for herself, yet the young Romani man Prospero watches her every movement with unguarded hunger. The girls remain dancing until the children have been put to bed, the older women have retired and the majority of men had drank so deeply that consciousness wouldn't visit them until late the following morning. As the last of her people retire for the night, Priscilla looks around to check for lingering eyes and finding none, she steals off into the forest._

 _She hadn't checked thoroughly enough. As she makes her way through the woods, to the same spot she had met the man she had been meeting night after night, young Prospero follows her._

 _"He's late," she murmurs to herself, the bangles on her wrist jingling as she sets her hand on her hip in annoyance._

 _"Who would that be, Priscilla?" Inquires Prospero, his hand encircling her wrist and turning her gently towards him._

 _With a sharp jolt of fright, Priscilla clutches her chest and lets out a harsh bark of a laugh, relieved to find that it was just a fellow Romani._

 _"Were you trying to kill me? I nearly died of fright!" she exclaims, attempting to tug her wrist from his grasp._

 _"I know you've been seeing that man," he murmurs. "Tell me, has he been under those skirts too?"_

 _Dumbfounded at the man's audacity, she reaches up to strike at him, only to have her other wrist captured as well. She is forced back against the nearest tree, the bark biting into her skin through the thin fabric of her blouse._

 _"I knew it, I knew it was you I saw. Your mother promised you to me and I'm receiving sullied goods. You deserve nothing!" Prospero spits the last few words at her, releasing her hands and watching for a brief moment as she turns away, only to stop suddenly as a dark stain of red blossoms just below her chest. As she falls to her knees, the man wipes his blade off on the back of her shirt. He leaves her lying on the forest floor and turns back toward the caravans._

 _She remains there for what seems like hours, growing colder and slipping in and out of consciousness before she's picked up, her body gently cradled against the equally cold chest of her secret partner. Glassy eyes turn up toward him and her mouth opens, but she finds herself unable to form the words she so desperately wishes to say._

 _"Please don't... just, please. I have only just found you again! Please don't leave so soon, my Persephone." Clutching her tighter to his chest, his frozen skin brings warmth even to hers as his hand strokes through her tangled hair, brushing out the leaves and debris before burying his face against the crook of her neck._

 _"I'll find you again, as many times as it takes. I promise, next time." He hiccups uncharacteristically as he masks a sob, her eyes losing their bright sheen, dulling as her last breath is captured by his mouth._

Sitting up and gasping, Paige looks around the room while tears make fresh tracks down her cheeks. Hades sits up against the headboard, watching her with a guarded expression, unsure of what caused this sudden outburst of sadness from her and keeping perfectly still as the distraught woman tries to collect herself. She lets out a short shuddering breath, her gaze settling on the god before she throws herself at him. In a surprising act, she crushes her mouth to his and clings tightly to his robes. Thoroughly startled, he doesn't immediately react, but soon gathers the woman into his arms to eagerly accept her affections. He soothes her with soft sounds and sweet nothings until her sobs die down.

Pulling her back from him gently, he wipes away her tears with a thumb and regards her solemnly.

"Mind cluing me in, dearest Perse- ... Paige?"

Paige shakes her head as if to clear her thoughts rather than avoiding the question, hoarsely choking out the words, "I died."

Continuing to keep her close, his hand smoothing over the back of her head, he murmurs softly to her.

"Which life was it?"

She turns teary eyes up at him, comprehension dawning over her as she utters, "Priscilla... are there more?"

Hades nods and embraces her once again, nose buried into her dark locks and enjoying the scent he had missed all those centuries, before pressing his lips against her temple and murmuring against it.

"They aren't all as tragic as that particular life, but it matters no longer. I will not release you this time. I've always found you, but I will not let you leave me again."

"Okay," Paige agrees quietly, eyes closing in silent acquiescence.


	12. Eager

The updates will come better spaced out from here on out. I'm focusing a lot on just between these two, there is much ground to cover and my mood reflects in my writing. I'll start working on a bit of an outside plot, but don't expect much, from here on I've deviated from the original story outline and I'm writing instead of filling in the blanks. My favourite character makes a short appearance and I'll leave you with a chapter that ends on a happier note this time around.

Thank you for the reviews, it's what keeps me writing.

Read, enjoy, review!

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Chapter 12: Eager

They lay there for hours, Hades stroking through her hair as she dozes easily in his arms, eyes never leaving her sleeping form. Known for his volatile temper, the god never had control of his moods, at least not where Persephone was concerned. She could incense and enrage him so easily, then soothe him a moment later. Each time his calm exterior was wound up and his ire turned to his wife, she could always assuage it. Patience. Patience is something any immortal should have in spades, yet he finds himself unable to hold back as she regains her memories. He is in a near constant battle with himself to exercise restraint with the woman. Fascinated, he watches her eyes flit beneath their lids as she dreams.

 _A young woman named Pela stands outside the extravagant abode she shares with her mother, the yard only illuminated by moonlight. Bowing her head at the man standing before her, she gives him an amused smile, his hand open and offering the same symbolic gift he had before._

 _"No, I don't want this. My mother needs me here. I believe what you say, but you've always found me again. Not this time, love," she speaks quietly, as if to soften the blow._

 _"She's faking it! Immortals can't die, your mother isn't ill! She's guilting you into delaying this. You can come be with me and she will be perfectly fine!" Hades grounds out, eyes narrowed with the accusation._

 _"Then what happened to me the first time? You have all the time in the world, what is her recovery time compared to one who has lived millennia? Can you not be patient for me a little while longer?" she murmurs, closing his hand around the seeds and petting the back of it._

 _"Fine. We will do it your way, my dearest Perseph-" he pauses before correcting himself, "Pela."_

 _Giving him an exuberant grin, she leans up and kisses him on the cheek, the wind whipping her blonde hair around her before parting from him, unaware that her mother had overseen the entire exchange._

 _Pela spends the next few weeks caring for her mother, never noticing the calculating gaze that settles upon her each time she leaves the room. Eventually, her mother "recovers" enough to function._

 _"Pela, let's take a trip, shall we? I'm feeling much better and I think a vacation is something that is well-deserved. I've purchased two tickets for a maiden voyage on a new ship that's been built." Her mother discusses with her, her tea cup pausing just before her lips._

 _Deciding a little while longer wouldn't be too much to wait, Pela nods, grinning happily as they enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Soon, April rolls by and standing on the docks as the crew takes their luggage into the hold of the ship, Pela's eyes widen while taking in the massive ocean liner. Once aboard, the giant vessel departed the port, on time at noon, heading for it's destination of New York City on what was the first voyage of the RMS Titanic, not knowing that it would never arrive._

 _Pela found herself among the panic the moment the ship had started to sink. Reaching out towards her mother, she instead finds herself trampled under the panicked feet of the other passengers. She wasn't given the chance of survival on the lifeboats and once again Hades was left empty-handed._

Paige stirs, her face contorted in a mask of displeasure. She turns towards Hades, her hands clutching the front of his robes, and presses her body flush against his in her sleep. Pulling herself closer, she rubs a heated cheek against the cool column of his throat. When he shifts her slightly in his arms, she utters a sound of protest and breaks halfway from her rest, slipping in and out of consciousness while struggling to fully awaken.

"Persephone…" he whispers softly to her, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest.

"Yes, my husband?" she murmurs, unaware of another woman's words falling from her lips.

A cool hand lulls the drowsy woman back into sleep. Hades grins to himself as he buries his nose into her hair and inhales the familiar fragrance while speaking softly.

"Not a thing, wife."

Paige wakes up on her belly, her body aching slightly from the odd position she left her arms in as she slept. She turns her head to gaze up at her abductor, her supposed husband, a god. Watching him sleep, she traces over the ever-present dark circles under his eyes with a feather-light touch. She then allows her fingertips to travel and trace over the bridge of his nose, along his jawline and over his chin, tentatively laying a kiss on the corner of his mouth before slipping out of his bed and chambers. Walking down the hallway, she finds the room she was searching for. She opens the door to the grotto and slips inside, eager to return to the waters.

She feels them before she hears them, the familiar massage of the two nymphs cleaning and easing her body further as she unwinds from their attentions.

"Persephone…?" one of them inquires.

"I've come to terms with that… I know who I am, but I still feel like Paige." She murmurs lazily back to them.

"You will always have your mortal memories, but you are not entirely mortal now, my queen." the other says softly, her hands running through Paige's hair, washing it meticulously. As they continue cleansing her entire body, she nods off once again in their care.

Hades wakes up to a cold bed. With his eyes yet unopened, his hand and arm search the other side of the bed, finding it empty and devoid of any warmth. Sitting upright, he throws back the covers and scans over the empty room for his wife. Unable to find her, he reapplies his armor and scours the hallway.

He soon comes across the sounds of water splashing and feminine giggles. Pushing open the door, he peers inside, garnering the rapt attention of all three females.

"Perse… Paige. I'll have food sent to the study for you. Do not venture off the grounds or into the maze. We have much to discuss, but for now I have business to attend to. Stay safe, behave and I will see you tonight." Hades speaks softly to her, yet commanding enough that she instantly responds, as she always had in her first life.

"I understand, my lord." she whispers to him, foreign words escaping her once more before she realizes what she's saying.

Relaxing back against the rocks, she watches him in slight fear and blushes darkly when he stands there too long, gazing upon her nude form. Becoming aware of her distress between embarrassment and fear of the repercussions if she were to turn her back to him, he turns away without another word, clearing his throat and exiting the grotto. She lets out a breath she was not consciously holding. Paige lounges for a few more minutes before slipping out, dressing herself with just a thought in a blue sundress, not too unlike the one she had worn a few days prior. She then saunters in and out of various doorways, keeping true to her vow of behavior and walking into the study.

She contents herself by poring over scrolls and books. Finding a set of charcoal and paper, she wastes hours drawing and doodling; lunchtime comes and goes, her food remaining untouched. With an exasperated sound, she ceases her activity and leaves the study. Keeping to the hallways, she finds her way outside. As she stands along the coast, her breath catches in her throat; she had spotted the rotted man she vaguely recalled seeing after her capture, the memories of him floating back into her mind.

 _"Having fun, my queen?" the disfigured, shamble of a man asks, regarding her with one piercing eye._

 _"With this stupid war going on, he has no time for me!" Persephone complains, heaving a large bone the size of her forearm past Cerberus. She watches the beast bound after its temporary toy, its three heads fighting one another over it. Two of the heads manage to snap down on the bone at the same time, breaking it in half and crushing it between their massive jaws._

 _Charon leans on the pole, watching as the goddess heaves another bone towards the canine, her cheeks rosy in her anger._

 _"You know, death fertilizes the land you love so much. Just because you're down here doesn't mean you can't help him with judgement, nor does it mean you can't have your own garden to cultivate. It's been a while since you've created a new plant." The ferryman chuckles at her when she casts a furious glance his way._

 _"Well Charon, maybe I don't wish to help him. You'd think after all the work he put into trapping me down here, he'd have more to show for it!" Persephone snaps back at him, nose turning upwards in a haughty manner. She walks across the water, heading in the direction of the Room of Judgement to address her grievances with her husband._

 _The last thing she hears before she's out of earshot is a loud guffaw from the usually stoic ferryman._

Snapping back and shaking her head, she watches as he glides past on the rust-colored skiff. His eye flashes and widens as she raises her hand, waving at him enthusiastically.

"Charon! I remember you!" Paige calls out, grinning widely as he stops pushing across the river, the momentum still carrying the boat across.

He doesn't reply. He simply stares, jaw hanging open in disbelief at the sudden greeting. The last time the girl saw him, she fainted. Now she was almost happy to see him? The ferryman lifts a hand to wave back at her, the dumbfounded look changing into a gruesome smile after a few moments.

"Come give me and Cerberus a visit sometime, my queen," he says, his voice carrying over the water easily and his smile never dropping as she gives him a short nod.

"This will prove interesting," he mumbles to himself, his heart much lighter from the same warm greeting that he had been accustomed to all those many years ago.


	13. Tempestuous

Would have had this one up a bit sooner, but I wasn't interested in this story anymore. Coupled with that, my husband decided to irritated the fuck out of me each time I pulled this up to edit or work on it. I forego having my usual editor go through this, rather than having you guys wait another day or two. On an off-note, I'll fill you guys in a bit as to what my life is currently like since I tend to keep author notes simple or pretty detached. We also ended up, spur-of-the-moment, adopting a rescue dog. The humane society in our county had a big adoption bazaar in downtown New Smyrna Beach. My father and husband were out and while everyone was paying 200-300 dollar adoption fees for puppies and the new animals, they spotted this 3 year old girl, 50 dollar adoption fee listed on her with the saddest look on her face. She's got depression (I never really stopped to think animals might have such things) and as a result had chewed/licked her legs to the point of open wounds. Her current foster home can't let her out all the time other than going to the bathroom, so she's an overweight, nervous pitbull terrier mix. She's great with the kids and ended up spending the night, sleeping on our bed with us. I don't think she's had much time outside a kennel so she doesn't know what to do with herself now that she has all this room and a huge backyard. So, that's about all. On with the story.

Read, review, enjoy.

Chapter 13: Tempestuous

Hades reclines back on his throne, a snap of his fingers banishing the conjured list of souls that needed his attention for judgment for that day. A small quirk of his lips gives hint to his mood as he draws himself to his feet, strolling out of the Room of Judgment in search of one disoriented goddess, his first destination being her chambers. Upon finding the room undisturbed since last he had caught her there, he doubles back to check the grotto and his own chambers. Discovering no sign in either of those places, he checks the study to come across the meal, showing that it remained completely untouched. Growling in slight annoyance, he stalks out to search the rest of the palace, not knowing he had missed his wife by mere moments.

The latest incarnation of Persephone finds herself strolling back inside, bare feet softly padding against the cold stone floor of the hallway. Once she arrives at the three familiar sets of doors, she approaches the third, listening once more for voices and upon finding none, slowly pushes it open. Gazing inside, she recalls the room from one of her memories, a throne on one side, two stone chairs encasing two figures in the far corner and a soul-filled river flowing along the other side. She approaches the rock prisons, her fingers running over the stone and finding it easily giving way to her touch. With a nimbleness the untried goddess was unaware of possessing, she begins plucking and prying at the stone that has trapped inside it the figure of a man; it yields to her curious touch as if it were clay and expels an olive-skinned man with short, black hair. He looked exactly as she remembered him in the vision and as she recognizes him, he slowly begins to right himself, standing before her and instantly grabbing her face in his hands.

She looks up at him with a startled gaze. "You are Pirithous?"

"Yes, and I'd recognize those eyes anywhere, sweet Persephone." He coos softly at her, eyes never leaving her gaze.

Pirithous leans down to kiss her and as soon as his mouth ghosts over her lips, the doors slam open, shaking the marble structure as Hades' voice booms and echoes through the cavernous room.

"You, Pirithous! You didn't learn the first time you touched my wife!" He hisses at the man, sending him back into the stone chair with hardly a thought, stone encasing him. Hades rounds to his wife, her eyes wide as she recalls what happened the last time her original was caught aiding the man.

"Please! Don't, Hades! It's not what it looks like, I was only going to-" she's cut short as he grabs her by the hair, forcing her gaze to steady on him.

He instantly snaps at her, eyes wild with fury and body taut with barely held restraint. "Don't you dare lie to me!"

"I had such plans, such a wonderful night to ease you into your place here, I would have made you feel like a rightful queen… but obviously that isn't what you aim for, pet, is it? You wish to lower yourself to foolish mortal men to test me. My lovely creature… I'm only too happy to oblige you this. Consider it my wedding gift. If you wish to test me, who am I to deny you." He turns her away to face the once-again trapped Pirithous and leans over her back, growling against the nape of her neck.

"I didn't -" she starts, instantly interrupted once again by being hoisted over Hades' shoulder and her view of the mortal shielded by a robed back.

"Do not dare speak, wife. I have told you ages ago and I will tell you again today. I'm an incredibly jealous man and you, you have no idea how effortlessly you infuriate me. You'll be mine tonight and I won't allow you to talk your way out of it, Demeter be damned!" He shifts her on his shoulder to better balance her, roughly jostling her body.

"You know, I'm getting really tired of this mode of transportation," she hisses, her fists pounding at his back as he walks out of the room and towards his chambers once again.

This time he chooses to dump her into a marble chair, conjured with little less than a thought and standing before her, surprised when his angry gaze meets a newly fearless and defiant one. The tempestuous woman glaring at him as she manages to gather herself and retain what grace she was left with upon the unceremonious drop into the chair.

Taking a deep breath to try and center himself, Hades manages a single command, his face flushed once more in anger. "Undress."

"No." Paige forces out, arms crossed over her chest in a protective manner as she turns her face away in an almost childish, indignant manner and sniffing once in a dainty manner.

His eyes widen for just a moment, incredulous at her disdainful manner of addressing him and growls out. "What did you just tell me? Choose your next words carefully, wife."

A familiar fire burns in her gaze, words from another woman spilling from the girl's mouth before she can even process it. "Blow it out your ass you overgrown man-child. I will not have you speak to me like that, be it husband, lord or god. It wasn't my fault, I was curious and that room was not off-limits. You choose your words carefully, dear husband. I will not allow you to bully me into anything! Time is something you have in spades, don't you dare try to rush me, it hasn't been a week yet and I will happily find my way out of this realm, this instant, if you try to push it!"

Hades stands dumbstruck by her sudden outburst, the act more familiar to that of his original Persephone instead of the meek human he recently found. He stares unblinking as she stands up, her small hands pressing against his chest to steady herself before placing a small kiss on his cheek, surprising him enough to easily maneuver away from his overbearing stance, pushing him aside and pausing at the doors.

Calling over her shoulder, she speaks plainly. "I invite you into my quarters after you are finished having your tantrum, to discuss this further."

He stays standing to the side, torn between tearing after the impertinent goddess and taking heed of her suggestion while watching the doors close behind her. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he gathers himself and chuckles. A heavy hand lies on his shoulder and without looking up, the familiar voice of Zeus comes across in a wistful tone.

"It's like she was never missing, huh?"

Hades nods, a wry smile appearing on his face. "You heard all of that?"

Zeus chortles, his heavy hand roughly cuffing Hades' shoulder and staggering the despondent god. "Are you kidding, all of Olympus heard it! Joking aside, I recently have come across one inconsolable and upset Demeter, who has petitioned me to reclaim her daughter. I trust you took care of what needed to be done?"

Nodding, Hades lets out a short bark of laughter. "Mostly, she did partake of the fruit of the dead, but she's still... adjusting. I don't trust that infernal mother of hers to give up so easily, however."

"As well you shouldn't. Not a single god left in Olympus envies you for your mother-in-law. Finish the deal and we'll talk more after I placate an enraged goddess. Keep an eye on that river, as well. I feel things will become quite tumultuous in the mortal realm with Demeter on a rampage." Zeus warns, his amused look changing to one of seriousness.

Hades nods, bringing himself back to his feet and brushes past Zeus, exiting his chambers without another word and heading towards Persephone's courtyard.

Meanwhile, Paige is found sitting by the small spring in her gardens as her backbone fails her and nerves catch up.

"What have I done?" She whispers to herself, eyes widening in fear.

A figure emerges from the waters, one of the nymphs, and pipes up cheerily. "What's the matter, Persephone?"

"I believe I just told the God of the Underworld to 'blow it out his ass' and then invited him here. I'm not ready to face him, probably ever," she whispers between spread fingers.

The other nymph then pops up from the water, happily chirping. "In that case, while there's still time, let us give you our wedding gift!"

A tinkling of laughter is heard for only a brief moment as the nymphs disappear beneath the surface. Paige finds a tendril of water wrapping itself around her waist, jerking her off her feet and barely allowing her a gasp before she can even protest. She's then dragged beneath the spring and quickly lead through an underwater maze of tunnels only to emerge in a small cavern shortly thereafter. Taking a look around at her surroundings, she finds herself in a grotto illuminated by scattered, glowing phytoplankton and bioluminescent mushrooms. Unease settles like a lead weight on her shoulders until darting, glowing movements beneath the water's surface grabs hold of her attention. Looking down at the clear water, she finds a school of small glowing fish; fluttering and flitting around her legs before swimming near the surface to bring even more of a soft glow to the grotto as if sensing her anxiety.

The nymphs speak softly and calmly, snapping Paige's attention back to the aqueous figures. "This is a safe place that you used to love."

"Hades knows his Underworld, surely he knows of our secret place... he just stays out of it, since there's no reason for him to be here."

"The fish help, if you forget the way, just swim into the tunnel leading out and they'll guide you. No worries about getting lost, even if you did, it's not like you have any need to breathe."

"I'm dead?" Paige exclaims, eyes widening as she stares at the two nymphs who begin laughing, seemingly at her expense.

"Not at all! You are simply..." One begins.

"Not mortal," the other nymph supplies, hand patting the shoulder of the recently startled woman.

"Consider it a wedding gift, from us to you."

"If not a bit of a regifted one," they chuckle, nearly in unison.

"We understood when you first came here; the need for another soul to stand beside, just because of you and Hades..."

"And we also understand the need for a moment alone..."

"We can't promise he won't find you here."

"But, he has never had the need to show his face here before."

Paige nods, faint grins barely distinguishable on the watery visages of the nymphs before they retreat into the depths. She relaxes and enjoys her time alone for a while longer, collecting her nerves as she spends a few more minutes watching the glowing school of fish flit around her legs. Eventually, she decides to dive beneath the surface, intent on finding her way out while the fish swim ahead to lead her back to her courtyard spring. Once she breaks the surface again, she peers around the garden and upon finding no sign of Hades, strips out of her soaked clothing. With a thought, she wraps herself in a fluffy towel and walks through the courtyard, the flowers and various other plants seeming to lean in to brush against her in a greedy attempt to welcome the no longer absent goddess. Feeling rejuvenated, she climbs the pantheon to her chambers, throwing back the sea green covers and curling up beneath them, her mind too awake to doze as she plans her next plan of attack against the pushy nature of her purported husband.


End file.
